The Haynes plant, operating since 1962, is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). the plant has seven power generating units and generates power for about a million homes. Haynes is one of three power plants owned by the LADWP. The others include Harbor plant on Terminal Island and the Scattergood in Playa Del Rey.
Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises supplied steam boilers for the Haynes Steam Turbine Power Plant, a supplier that later faced thousands of lawsuits for toxic asbestos in their components.
Consequently, power plant asbestos exposure was likely for thousands of workers over the years, many of whom inhaled toxic dust, which can directly cause serious illness and cancers like mesothelioma and lung cancer.
Former Haynes power plant employees in Long Beach, California have filed occupational cancer claims against former employers for failing to provide a safe workplace and for failing to properly warn staff of the potential occupational health risks.
Asbestos-containing materials were frequently used in power plant equipment before the 1980s. Workers in power plants were exposed to a number of toxic products, including:
- Acoustic plaster which provided noise reduction inside power plants, and added additional fireproofing
- Asbestos blankets were used to prevent worker burn injury and prevent fires in power plants
- Asbestos Pipe Coverings with asbestos insulation used to control the heat radiating from piping
- Industrial boilers contained asbestos insulation and gaskets
- Transformer cables were wrapped in asbestos insulation
- Paneling containing asbestos was used throughout power plants as an effective form of fireproofing
- Mastic, also called caulk, was used to create seals and make repairs
- Asbestos cement was used to make arc chutes, which are found in power plants
The companies that manufactured asbestos products included General Electric, Kilnoise, Babock & Wilcox, Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing, Durabla Manufacturing Company, Georgia-Pacific’s affiliate, Bestwall Gypsum Company and Johns Manville.
